Listening and selecting apparatus



-v 9, 1930. A. BLOCH 1,784,172

LISTENING AND SELECTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 11, 1926 IN V EN TOR.

fl Bloc/2 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 9, 1930 FFICE ANDRE BLOCH, OF PARIS, FRANCE LISTENING AND SELECTING APPARATUS Application filed October 11, 1926, Serial No. 140,911, and in France October 26, 1925.

My invention relates to a listening and selecting apparatus, which 1s characterized by the use of means enabling the proper selection of the sounds, or the observation or" any 5 given sound, by tuning the apparatus to this sound, in such manner as to reinforce it while diminishing the intensity or" prejudicial parasitic sounds.

I obtain this result by forming a layer or cushion of air of adjustable thickness between the auditory'channel of the operators ear and the listening apparatus employed, which may consist of an acoustic tube, the vibrating diaphragm of a stethoscope or of a telephone receiver, or the like.

The layer or cushion of air which thus forms a manometric chamber will be tuned, according to the thickness which is given to it, by suitable regulating means, to the desired sound, suspected noise, engine, propeller, human voice, or the like), or to harmonic of the sound under observation.

The tuning may be of an exact or a loose nature, according as the thickness to be given to the layer of air is calculated strictly or approximately. The tuning may be carried out by repeated trials and may be voluntarily of a very loose nature, in the case in which the apparatus is to be used for instance for the human'voice, whose vibrations cover a certain extent in the scale of sounds, and in which the whole range is to be observed. 7

The apparatus, the object of the invention, comprises a disc of any suitable material provided with'a flange which is slidable with easy friction in a stationary ring surrounding the operators ear. I prefer to give to these two members an oval or pearshaped form, whereby they will coincide 6X 40 actly With the shape of the ear. The said movable plate is pierced with an aperture for the insertion of a telephone receiver, or the end of an acoustic tube, or any other listening device in use. The end of the movable part may be entirely eliminated, if the listening system employed exactly fills the space occupied by the same, and if it is movable in the same manner as the eliminated part. The stationary element-Whether it consists of the said disc or or" the listening device alone-is covered upon its whole sur face by a pad formed of stuffed cotton velvet, which serves to fill up thecavities in the outer ear in the proper manner," so as to obviate all injury to this part, and to allow the said layer of air to prevail only at the point adjacent the auditory channel. The said pad is obviously pierced with an aper-' ture corresponding to the auditory channel.

In the case of tuning which is voluntarily of a loose nature, the said movable part may be made stationary, or I may eliminate the stationarymember in which it is movable, so that the said pad needs only be pressed more or less against the ear in order to form a layer of air of moderate thickness, whose value can be determined by repeated trials.

I prefer to surround the apparatus-and consequently the earwith a pneumatic rubber torus which projects from the side of the'ear. Q i

The appended drawings show by way of example various embodiments of the invention. Figs. 1 and 2 represent a constructional 7 form of my said apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a modification of the same I employ a disc 1 which'consists of any suitable substance and is flanged at 2, the disc having an oval or a pear shape to exactly 00- incide with the outline of the ear; said disc is slidable with easy friction in a stationary member 3 of like shape, to which is secured a pneumatic torus 4. j

The movable disc 1 is pierced with an aperture 6 into which is inserted the end of an acoustic tube'5 (Fig. 1), or a telephone receiver, or anyother suitable listening device.

In front of the movable part 1 is disposed a pad of cotton velvet 7 comprising a central aperture 8; this latter, when the apparatus is mounted-against the car, i. e. when the said pneumatic member surrounds the outer part ofthe ear, will fill up the cavities in the eX-, ternal ear, thus protecting itfrom all injury and offering only the layer of air which is necessary for the desired tuning.

The situation of the central aperture 8 of the pad 7 is so determined as to bring it into coincidence with the aperture 6 of the disc 1 whichcorrespondstotheauditorychannel.

In certain cases, I may eliminate the movable disc 1, provided the listening device which is utilized exactly fills the space occupied within the stationary member 3, and that it may be displaced in the same manner as the said movable disc.

In the construction which is shown in Fig. 10 3 the movable disc 1 is eliminated, and it is replaced by the stationary disc 9 comprising a central aperture in which is engaged the acoustic tube 5. The disc 9 has secured thereto the cotton velvet pad 7, and it is mounted in any suitable manner upon the pneumatic torus Ladaptedtosurroundtheear.

This arrangement can be employed in the case in which the tuning is voluntarily of a loose character. It is simply necessary to 29 press to a greater or less degree upon the pad 7 in order to form in front of the ear a layer of air of medium thickness which can be regulated in a summary manner, and whose value can be found upon trial.

Claims 1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a sound conducting member, of enclosing means for surrounding the ear of the operator and connected with the so. sound conducting member for regulating at will the volume of the air cushion existing between the auditory channel ofthe operators ear and the sound conductingmember.

2. In apparatus ofthe character described,

the combination with a sound conducting member, of means operably associated therewith for regulating at will the volume of the air cushion existing between the auditory channel of the operators ear and the sound conducting member, said means including an apertured disc engaged with the sound conducting member, an apertured pad connected to the outer face of the disc, and a flexible torus arranged in surrounding relation with the disc.

3. An apparatus of the character described, the combination with a sound conducting member, of a flanged disc having an aperture for engagement with the sound conducting 5 member, a pad on the outer face of the disc and having an aperture aligning with the aperture in the disc and adapted to be arranged opposite the auditory channel of the ear of the user, a stationary tubular member in which the flanged disc is adjustably engaged, a penumatic torus surrounding the stationary member, and the torus, tubular member and disc being of substantially oval shape so as to conform to the general contour of the ear of the user, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ANDRE BLOCH. 

